I believe there are intelligent aliens, says head of Nasa

INTELLIGENT alien life is likely because the universe is so big, the head of Nasa has said.

Bill Nelson, the former space shuttle astronaut and US senator, said that the James Webb telescope, which was launched on Dec 25, could help detect worlds where life could thrive.

Speaking at the Financial Times Investing In Space Conference yesterday, Mr Nelson was asked whether he believed in intelligent extraterrestrial life. “The short answer is yes,” he said.

“We know that we have in our galaxy, millions, if not billions of suns, and we know that in addition to our galaxy there are millions, if not billions, of galaxies with millions or billions of suns.

“Now, is there a possibility in a universe that big that conditions like Earth have been created? Of course, there is that possibility.”

He added: “With the telescope, we’re going to be able to have such precision to look at a planet and determine the chemical composition of its atmosphere so we can determine if it has a possibility of a habitable atmosphere.”

Mr Nelson also played down tensions with Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, saying there was still co-operation on the International Space Station.

He said: “There is no breakdown. There is history for this and it goes back to 1975 in the midst of the Cold War, when Soviet spacecraft rendezvoused and docked with US crews and they lived together.

“In the midst of all of that strain, there can actually be co-operation and we see that today on the International Space Station.”

Mr Nelson said the space station was likely to continue until 2030, when it will be replaced by commercial stations.